Meet our Trustees

Our Board of Trustees is responsible for our management and conduct as a charity.

Trustees use their skills, experience and expertise to guide Suffolk Family Carers to achieve our strategic goals. Being a trustee gives the opportunity to have a positive impact on people’s lives, local communities and society as a whole.

Susan Brooks - Chair of Trustees Board

Susan is an experienced senior marketing professional, having spent over 30 years working in London for a variety of FTSE 100 companies including, Centrica, The Automobile Association, ITV plc and latterly as a Marketing Director with RSA Insurance Group.

After leaving the corporate world she moved to Suffolk where she lives with her husband and her bouncy springer spaniel, Molly. She enjoys supporting her local village activities, playing tennis and walking in the beautiful Suffolk countryside.

Susan has been a carer for her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimers and wants to use her marketing knowledge to help support the work of Suffolk Family Carers.

June Lancaster - Vice Chair

June a nurse by background, having worked in the Health service at all levels. She moved into the education space with the creation of the NHSU (university) specialising in the development and delivery of eLearning.

A move into the corporate world supporting organisations to develop and implement learning and development strategies including the role out of new learning technologies. She is currently Managing director of a global eLearning company, chair of a not for profit organisation in Tadcaster, Yorkshire where she was born and lived until 2023 when she moved with her husband to Suffolk.

This move brought her closer to her family who helped care for her husband who died in 2024 of Parkinsons disease.

She enjoys looking after her 7 year old grandson, 2 dogs and her garden. As a new trustee she hope to bring a new set of eyes and use her work and life experience to support the work of Suffolk Family Carers.

Holly Bracey - Treasurer

Holly is a Chartered Accountant and Client Manager at a regional accountancy firm.

Holly became a Trustee of Suffolk Family Carers because she believes in the importance of recognising and supporting those who care for others. In her role as trustee, she brings her expertise in finance and business to help strengthen the charity’s operations and future planning.

Outside of her professional life, Holly enjoys spending time with her family and making the most of quality time together.

Carole Burman

Carole is the Managing Director of MAD-HR Ltd (an HR Consultancy) and has over 25 years HR and leadership experience including 10 years’ as HR Director of Marshall Motor Holdings based in Cambridge. She is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and is also Member of the IOD.

Carole became a Trustee because she could easily see the immense value that Suffolk Family Carers brings to the carers and communities in which it serves however there is always more to be done to help those who don’t know of its existence.

Carole has lived in Suffolk since 2004 with her husband and their Labrador. However, her association with Suffolk began much earlier as she is a passionate Ipswich Town supporter.

Gerard Artindale

Gerard qualified as a Chartered Accountant, moving into retailing where he had a career at or near Board level in companies such as Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason. He subsequently ran his own business advisory company. After retiring he was for six years volunteer Chairperson of Thera East Anglia, a not for profit subsidiary of Thera Trust, which supports people with learning disabilities in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. He is passionate about using his skills and experience to make a difference to people’s lives.

Gerard enjoys playing cricket, walking with his dog, helping out with the local community shop, and enjoying Suffolk life with his partner and pets.

Hannah Kossowska-Peck

Hannah is from Suffolk and currently lives in Ipswich with her fiancé and two rabbits, Poppy and Pickle. She graduated from Newnham College, University of Cambridge in 2020 with a degree in Natural Sciences.

She has a passion for helping others and working in the public or voluntary sectors. In particular, Hannah is passionate about young people who are in care or are care experienced. Her current role at Suffolk County Council is in Children and Young People services, in the corporate parenting commissioning team. This involves commissioning high standard accommodation for young people in care across Suffolk.

Hannah became involved at Suffolk Family Carers as a young shadowing trustee, but we are please that she became a full trustee in February 2023. Hannah very quickly understood the massive reach and impact of the charity and is enjoying helping our great organisation.

If you would like to follow Hannah’s footsteps by becoming a Young Shadowing Trustee watch our interview with Hannah as explains more about her role at that time.

Steve Pitt

Steve is a qualified social worker with a career spanning over 45 years. He began his journey as a Probation Officer before holding a variety of senior leadership roles within Social Services, including Director of Adult Services in Dorset and Assistant Chief Inspector with the Social Services Inspectorate, formerly part of the Department of Health. He has also worked as a consultant with the Institute of Public Care.

Beyond his professional life, Steve is a long-term Samaritan, a Director with Healthwatch Suffolk, and a former trustee with The YOU Trust (a Hampshire based Charity). He has also served as a school governor and Chair of Governors.

Steve joined our Trustee board in August 2025

Lucy Pakes

Lucy’s professional background is in Human Resources, with a long career as an in-house HR Manager and latterly as an HR Consultant. She has worked with a diverse range of organisations including Suffolk County Council Social Services and the outsourcing giant Capita, as well as small local businesses across East Anglia.

Having been a carer for her late mother, she is keen to support the invaluable work of Suffolk Family Carers.

Lucy came to Suffolk after university, following her then boyfriend here. They married in 1990 and have been here ever since. Lucy enjoys singing, gardening and days out in the Suffolk countryside. She is also enjoying being a grandmother to an 18 month old granddaughter. Lucy would be a keen dog owner, if only she could persuade her husband to let her have one…

Sarah Higson

Sarah originally trained as a youth worker and counsellor and worked for many years in the Charity sector leading organisations that supported vulnerable and marginalised communities in both Manchester and London.

She then went on to accumulate over 20 years’ experience in the NHS leading on patient and carer experience and engagement; initially at Ipswich Hospital followed by the Norfolk & Norwich Hospitals.

Sarah has lived in Suffolk since 2005, drawn by the big skies and endless opportunities for walking and enjoying the beautiful coast and countryside.

It was during her time at Ipswich Hospital that Sarah first became aware of the important and profound impact of the work of Suffolk Family Carers and she hopes her combination of both NHS and Charity experience, alongside her passion for involvement and co-production, will be useful in her role as Trustee.

Heather Hunt

An accomplished and strategic leader with extensive experience across higher education, further education and the charity sector, Heather has built a career dedicated to improving outcomes for students, young people and vulnerable communities. With expertise in organisational leadership, service transformation, safeguarding and wellbeing, Heather is recognised for developing innovative services, leading organisational change and building high-performing teams.

Currently serving as Head of Student Services and Wellbeing at the University of Essex, she leads a broad portfolio encompassing Student Information, Registration and Welcome, Student Finance administration and the Wellbeing and Inclusivity Service, and the University’s Faith Centre. Heather is responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality, student-centred services that enhance the student experience and support success throughout the student lifecycle.

Heather has previously managed Young and Young Adult Carers’ Service in Essex and worked in the Young Carers team at Suffolk Family Carers. Alongside her professional roles, they have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to governance and public service through trustee and governor appointments. These have included serving as Safeguarding Governor at the Royal Hospital School, Chair of Governors at Castle Hill Infant School, and Trustee of Bows and Arrows Nursery Group.